Travel: Discover Beantown  Boston!  and all its charm

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By Nancy Pistorius

The State Journal-Register

By Nancy Pistorius

Posted Apr. 25, 2014 at 12:48 AM

By Nancy Pistorius

Posted Apr. 25, 2014 at 12:48 AM

The Cradle of Liberty. America’s Walking City. Beantown. Boston lives up to all its many nicknames. With its rich history, grand architecture and world-renowned academic institutions, the city retains the mystique it has garnered over the last four centuries.

Although the town charms in any season, spring and summer, when its many parks are bright and green and outdoor cafés are abuzz with laughter, are especially good months to visit.

History buffs take pleasure in wandering the Freedom Trail, where every turn brings them face to face with history — the Paul Revere House, the USS Constitution and Faneuil Hall complex. Shoppers head to Quincy Marketplace or Newbury Street, and kids enjoy ogling the fish at the New England Aquarium.

Getting around

The best way to get your bearings in Boston is to take the Old Town Trolley Tour, which includes 16 regular stops (at nearly all Boston’s tourist attractions), plus five more stops on the optional Seaport Tour Loop. Your ticket is good for two full days of hop-on, hop-off sightseeing, plus it comes with your choice of two bonus attractions — the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum and the Boston Harbor Cruise. (Both these attractions are well worth experiencing, especially if you have children in tow.)

Among the stops on the Old Town Trolley Tour are the Historic North End (often called Boston’s “Little Italy” — with scores of great Italian restaurants), the Theater District (with access to Chinatown and the graceful Swan Boats in Boston Public Garden), The Original Cheers pub (“where everybody knows your name”), and Fenway Park (where you can take a guided tour of the hallowed shrine of Red Sox Nation).

The trolley even stops in Cambridge near MIT and Harvard, where you can take the Red line subway to Harvard Square.

Don’t even think about driving in Boston. Your blood pressure would go sky-high trying to navigate the mind-blowing traffic, preponderance of one-way streets and lack of parking. Just rely on the trolley and the “T” — Boston’s easy-to-use subway system — and your vacation (and sanity) will be saved.

While depending on public transportation will save wear and tear on your nerves, buying the Boston CityPASS will minimize the strain on your pocketbook. The CityPASS is an especially good deal because it covers four major Boston attractions: the New England Aquarium, the Museum of Science, the Skywalk Observatory, and the Museum of Fine Arts plus either the Harvard Museum of Natural History or The Old State House. It cuts the price of your admission fees to these attractions nearly in half.

A cultural mecca

Bostonians are culture vultures. And Boston has a variety of entertainment that will please just about everyone. Whether it’s Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra/Boston Pops Orchestra or “I Will Survive” performed by a drag queen as Gloria Gaynor, Boston is into creating and consuming art of many varieties.

Page 2 of 4 - The Boston Ballet performs an internationally acclaimed repertoire of classical and contemporary works, the Museum of Fine Arts maintains a collection that encompasses the globe and ranges across the span of human existence, and the Boston Lyric Opera provides world-class musical entertainment that delights audiences year-round.

Faneuil Hall Marketplace, with 125 shops and 21 restaurants housed in three beautifully restored 19th-century buildings at the site of Boston’s historic waterfront, has a festive atmosphere, dawn or dusk. It is also home to some of the most riveting entertainment in Boston, with street entertainers like Alakazam: The Human Knot (a contortionist who has performed private events for Bruce Springsteen), Wacky Chad (a stunt comedian with award-winning pogo stick skills) and Lucky Bob (a magician and juggler who also can bunny-hop on a unicycle). Many of the performers specialize in interactive entertainment, so don’t be surprised if you get selected from the audience to be part of a madcap act.

Family-friendly fun

Boston is brimming with activities for kids and kids at heart. Boston Children’s Museum pioneered the first-ever hands-on museum exhibit (“What’s Inside”), the first-ever exhibit specifically for young children (PlaySpace) and groundbreaking exhibits about children with disabilities and cultural differences. The museum continues this legacy today with innovative exhibits that engage families. Its three-story maze/climbing structure will appeal to restless youngsters, and exploring its Japanese House (Kyo-no-Machiya), a gift from Boston’s Japanese Sister City, Kyoto, is fascinating for all.

The New England Aquarium boasts a four-story, 200,000-gallon Giant Ocean Tank with a reflective ceiling dome, which gives visitors a clear look at myriad sharks, loggerhead sea turtles, moray eels and many other tropical species that swim above the recreated coral habitat. The Simons IMAX Theatre presents 3D shows daily, and there are penguin feedings, harbor seal training sessions, and fur seal training sessions. You also might get to see the Aquarium’s newest babies — Kitovi and Chiidax, two adorable fur seal pups.

A row of bronze ducks on the north side of Boston Public Garden pays homage to Robert McCloskey’s classic picture book, “Make Way for Ducklings,” and you’re bound to see real ducks paddling about in the pond, too.

Boston Harbor rebellion

At the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, you can be a part of the event that forever changed the course of American history. Live actors wearing Revolutionary costumes, interactive exhibits, holographic displays and films, and two historically accurate replica ships make this attraction exciting as well as informative. What makes the experience unique is that you’ll play a participant in the reenacted uprising and help dump tea overboard the ship. The actors stay completely in character throughout the performance, which increases the entertainment value. A very Harry Potter-ish element of the experience occurs in the Portrait Gallery, when Samuel Adams and King George come alive in their frames.

Page 3 of 4 - Your adventure isn’t complete without a spot of tea in Abigail’s Tea Room, where you can taste five historic colonial teas (including iced strawberry-apple) and then have a cup of your favorite, along with delectable scones, sugar cookies, button cookies or muffins.

Succulent seafood

Legal Test Bar & Kitchen and Legal Harborside, both in the Seaport District, are part of the award-winning Legal Sea Foods brand, which emphasizes quality control and freshness. There’s not a single dud on any of the menus. Don’t leave Boston without trying Legal’s creamy, buttery Famous Clam Chowder, a bipartisan favorite which has been served at the inaugural festivities of Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. Both restaurants offer great service and Legal Harborside features three floors, each with a distinctly different atmosphere, from a laid-back lounge to an upscale dining experience.

Historic Durgin-Park Restaurant began as a market man’s dining hall in the early 19th century, and has been continually operated as a public eating place by a handful of owners for more than 180 years. Fresh lobster is a specialty, as well as Boston Baked Beans, which are baked the old-fashioned way in stone crocks.

The Barking Crab Restaurant is a casual urban shack (and attached tent) with a menu of New England classics, including a 10-pound lobster. Live music often is featured, along with craft cocktails and locally-brewed beers.

The Union Oyster House, the oldest restaurant in Boston and the oldest eating establishment in continuous service in the U.S., once hosted Daniel Webster, who would consume six plates of a half-dozen oysters at a time, with a tumbler of brandy per plateful. Today you can dine on specialties like Broiled Fresh Boston Scrod, Seafood Newburg and Indian pudding while sneaking a peek at John F. Kennedy’s favorite wooden booth, marked with a plaque.

As you might expect from a town with such a high concentration of Irish immigrants, Boston has no shortage of Irish pubs. One of my favorites is M.J. O’Connor’s Irish Pub, with locations on Park Plaza and on the waterfront. Besides expertly poured pints of Guinness, the waterfront location’s menu features classic comfort food, like shepherd’s pie, and bangers and mash. Sláinte!

Bedding down

The Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel, a AAA Four Diamond award-winning property, couldn’t be more convenient for your stay. It’s located less than three miles from Logan International Airport; the Old Town Trolley stops right outside its entrance way; it’s within easy walking distance of both the LTK and Legal Harborside, and M.J. O’Connor’s Irish Pub Waterfront is right inside the lobby. When you’re ready to relax, the GymFitness studio and heated indoor pool will be calling your name.